1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for harvesting crops and, more particularly, to a device configured to both rake and ted the crop.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In harvesting crop material, such as hay, the hay is generally cut by a mower which lays the hay down in swaths approximately 7 to 9 feet wide. It is impractical to pick up and bale the hay when the moisture content of the hay is high. Therefore, the cut hay is typically left in the field to dry naturally by the sun. However, if the hay is left to dry too long, the action of the sun causes some of the nutrient value of the hay to be lost. Further, the longer the hay lies drying, the greater is the chance that the grain structure of the hay will be destroyed. Therefore, it is important to dry the hay as quickly as possible. To accelerate drying after the hay has been cut, it is desirable to pick up and fluff the hay and then lay the hay back down on the ground in order to promote more even drying. This pick up and fluffing of the swath is known as tedding.
Additionally, the hay in the swath may be collected and formed into relatively narrow rows called windrows. This operation is generally called raking. After raking, the ground under the windrow may become wet due to moisture and by being covered by the windrow. This causes uneven drying of the hay, i.e., the top part of the windrow dries but the bottom part remains wet. Therefore, there is a need to pick up the windrow, aerate it and then return the hay back onto the ground in a windrow to facilitate more even drying.
It is customary to use different apparatuses for raking and tedding. The need to have separate tedding and raking devices increases the cost of crop harvesting. In addition to the initial cost of each device, each device must also be separately maintained and serviced to keep the device in working order. Further, two separate devices take up more valuable storage space than would a single device.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a single device which may be used to both rake and ted a crop. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device with which the crop can be easily and quickly formed into windrows on either side of the device or directly behind the device. It is additionally an object of the invention to provide a device in which the crop can be picked up, turned over and formed into windrows on either side of the device.